Progress and limitations of thin-film silicon solar cells

•A triode PECVD technique has been applied to deposit a-Si:H films exhibiting low light-induced degradation.•A novel honeycomb-shaped periodic texture has been developed and applied to µc-Si:H solar cells.•Four record-breaking solar cell efficiencies have been achieved with single-junction and multijunction device structures. The major issues of thin-film silicon solar cells have been the light-induced metastability of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and the weak infrared light absorption of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H). In order to overcome these challenges, we have developed a novel deposition process for a-Si:H and an improved light trapping scheme for μc-Si:H light absorbers, leading to four record independently-confirmed conversion efficiencies with single-junction and multijunction device structures. In this article, we review some technological progresses that led to the notable improvement in thin-film silicon solar cells, and address some limitations imposed by the absorber layer quality as well as the cell design.